Mitchell hits back at Merseyside moaners
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• Merseyside Bus services are the worst in Britain following deregulation, according to a number of local Labour MPs, although Transport Minister David Mitchell has pinned the blame firmly on local management for any worsening in services since deregulation at the end of October.
In a recent Commons motion, five Liverpool MPs said they supported the view of Merseyside Public Transport Users that they had suffered greater fare increases than elsewhere, chaotic services and cancellations of scheduled services.
They attacked the management for trying to cover up the problems by speeding up timetables, reducing their services and providing substandard buses.
Liverpool Labour MP Bob Wareing claims the disastrous deregulation of buses has resulted in scandal and chaos: a recent PTE report shows that no less than 20% of passengers have turned to other forms of transport.
Mitchell, however, has refused to accept any blame for the state of services now operating in Merseyside.
"The extent of the reliability of the operations of a local bus service is nothing to do with the Government or with legislation. It demonstrates the management efficiency of the local operators. In this case, they have not been helped by strikes.
Mitchell has also criticised the PTE in Greater Manchester for providing only a skeleton network rather than the socially necessary services found elsewhere,